Trevor Zegras, who abruptly left a Dec. 4 game against the Vegas Golden Knights with a non-contact knee injury, underwent a successful surgery this morning to repair a torn meniscus. While a torn meniscus is certainly a serious injury, the diagnosis comes as somewhat of a relief, given the contortion of the knee on the play in question had many feeling that it was a ligament tear, which could’ve ended Zegras’ season. His recovery timeline is slated to be six weeks.
Timing of the Injury Was Unfortunate for Zegras and the Ducks
Zegras was playing his best hockey of the season at the time of the injury, oftentimes looking like his 65-point self from a few seasons ago. With seven points in the eight games before the Golden Knights matchup, he was rounding into the form that many expected he would take before the season. Two of those games were multi-point games. He finally had the energy and was both facilitating for his teammates and creating his own scoring opportunities. He had trouble doing both consistently during the season’s first month when the Ducks stumbled out of the gates.
Related: Ducks September Series: 2024-25 Expectations for Trevor Zegras
The Ducks are already suffering from his absence. They have yet to win, let alone score more than two goals, in the three games since. It paints a murky picture, at best, with regard to their ability to generate offense over the next month and a half. Guys like Frank Vatrano, Ryan Strome, Cutter Gauthier, Brett Leason, Mason McTavish, and Alex Killorn will likely scoop up the available ice time while Zegras sits, but they must do something with it. The offense was pedestrian with Zegras in the lineup, so if guys don’t fill the voids, then the Ducks will be at the bottom of the Western Conference by the time he returns.
As for when he returns, there are a number of factors at play. Six weeks puts us right at the beginning of February. With the 4 Nations Face-Off taking place the second week of February, it would make sense for him to return after. It may be the smarter move to be cautious with his return, given the number of significant injuries he has suffered since the beginning of last season. Stay tuned, and recover well, Z!
